It is common practice to make coffee in a machine that makes use of a cup-like filter. These filters are formed from flat paper sheet into a cup having a frusto-conical side wall. In forming it, the wall is provided with vertical corrugations or striations. Therefore, the filters are packaged in nested condition, it is difficult to remove the innermost filter. This is because the paper material that is used is of a porous nature (and, therefore, has a rough surface) and because the nesting of the corrugations provides additional contact surface between the innermost filter and the adjacent one in the nest. In other words, the friction is very high. It is necessary, therefore, to separate the edge of the upper edge of the innermost filter from the remainder and, since they are closely nested, this is difficult to do. Sometimes, even when one uses his finger nail, he peels off a group of two or three instead of the single filter that is desired. These and other difficulties experienced with the prior art devices have been obviated in a novel manner by the present invention.
It is therefore, an outstanding object of the invention to provide a coffee filter system in which the innermost filter of a nested assemblage can easily be removed.
Another object of this invention is the provision of a system for packaging coffee filters, wherein each filter is provided with its own separate lifting means.
A further object of the present invention is the provision of a coffee filter system which is simple in construction, which is inexpensive to manufacture, and which will not deteriorate during long storage.
It is another object of the instant invention to provide a system for packaging cup-like coffee filters and for adding individual tabs to the filters to permit the ready release of the innermost filter from the remainder.
A still further object of the invention is the provision of a coffee filter package in which the natural inclination of the upper edges of a plurality of nested filters assists in locating individual tabs for the removal of a single filter.
With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth in the specification and covered by the claims appended hereto.